Guidance on glazing for employers and people in control of
workplaces
Since 1975 the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA)
has required employers, the self-employed and certain people who
have control over workplaces to ensure, so far as is reasonably
practicable, the health and safety of anyone who may be affected by
their work activities. So if glazing constitutes a risk, reasonably
practicable measures need to be taken to deal with it.
The HSWA does not specifically mention glazing, but on 1 January
1993 the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
came into force to implement the EC Workplace Directive. Regulation
14 includes requirements for glazing which make explicit those that
are implicit in the HSWA.
The regulations apply to a wide range of workplaces including
factories, offices, shops, schools, hospitals, hotels and places of
entertainment. They do not apply to domestic premises used for
work, or to construction sites. They have applied to new workplaces
from l January 1993, and to all workplaces from 1 January 1996.
The duty to comply with the regulations will usually fall to the
employer. However, people other than employers may be duty-holders
under the regulations if they have control of a workplace to any
extent; examples are the owners and landlords of buildings used as
workplaces. Depending upon the tenancy agreement - particularly of
a multi-occupied building - the owner, as opposed to individual
employers, may be the duty-holder responsible for complying with
the requirements.
The above guidance is reproduced from the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) web site. For further information please visit
their 'Workplace Health and Safety - Glazing' page on
their web site, or telephone HSE's InfoLine:
HSE Infoline
0845 345 0055
HSE Infoline is your first point of contact with HSE. It's a
'one-stop' shop, providing you with rapid access to HSE's wealth of
health and safety information, and access to expert advice and
guidance. |